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 This page was formerly devoted to Frederick Scott Archer, a man born in the 19th century and credited with making the art of photography readily available to the masses long before George Eastman's Kodak camera made its entrance.
The fact that his name appeared on this website is because it was widely believed he was born the son of a butcher, who lived in Bishop's Stortford. This has recently been disproved and is reason enough to remove all details about Archer's life.
The following correction to this long-standing error is taken from Sean MacKenna's website, who recently informed me of new evidence regarding Archer's birthplace:
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Much of Archer's life is undocumented. After he died, some details of his early life were recounted by his wife, Fanny G. Archer, (Frances Garrett Archer).
He is said to have been born the son of a butcher in Bishop's Stortford and this belief is an early and much repeated one, however there is no documentary evidence to support it.
The 1841 census, oddly, gives Scotland as his place of birth. The 1851 census,offers Hertford as his birthplace, also the inscription on Frederick's memorial stone gives his father's name as Thomas Archer "formerly of Hertford".
Interestingly Fanny's entry in the 1851 census gives Bishop's Stortford as her birthplace.
I am deeply indebted to Dr.Stefan Hughes who, currently writing a book on the History of Astrophotography, called ‘Catchers of the Light’, has generously allowed me to quote from his research on the Archer family, and has provided an Archer family tree.
It is generally believed that Frederick was born in 1813, but although his death certificate might be thought to cast some doubt on this date, it is fully born out by the 1851 census and the inscription on his memorial stone.
He lost his parents as a child and was brought up by distant relatives and friends.
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